We should definitely be using our technologies to their maximum potential. This is one of those things that used correctly could very well help bring down costs. As noted already, not all things would necessarily work remotely, but many things could.

For those in rural areas or with no internet, a small office could be setup for that community so they could visit it for the online consultations…rather than having to travel far to see a specialist, etc.

Doctors routinely conduct their 'rounds' by remote control these days.

They log on to the patient's chart in the hospital, review the notes, vitals, and meds. If anything needs to be changed, they simply notify the on-duty nurse or PA. The savings in doctor commute times alone make this worthwhile, especially if he/she has patients in several area hospitals.

Under HCR, all medical facilities will be on compatible systems. Doctors offices, hospitals, labs, and pharmacies will be able to 'talk to one another' in real time for the benefit of the patient. No more repeating tests or procedures simply because the results of the previous tests are not accessible. Your MRI or CAT scan will been seen by your doctor, even if he is on the wrong coast.

So why not see the doctor online? I see this as especially helpful for rural areas. I envision a nurse and /or PA traveling to a small remote town in a motor home-sized lab, setting up a satellite link to the physician in the big city, conducting routine procedures and then having the physician order whatever he wants for the patient. All the data is stored and accessible at any time. Not exactly house calls, but close enough, eh?

Hmmmm....

I have cardiac surgery, total hip or knee, and I am going to be satisfied with not seeing my doctor and have faith in his remote rounds?

That would be one question I will ask before I have surgery. He will lose my business. Through word of mouth he will likely change his remote habit.

Now that wont be an option with obamacare. You will be shielded as much as possible from developing a relationship with that doctor and accept whatever th govt gives you.

That's right! Just like subsidized public transportation put the Mercedes Benz dealers out of business. If you like sitting face to face with your doctor, schmoozing, or whatever, there will be someone willing to do that with you ... for a price. If you think you are getting that now for free, you are delusional. One way to lower the cost of health care is to make it possible for the providers to be more efficient. Technology makes that possible.

Did it piss you off when doctors stopped making routine house calls and accepting payment of chickens and veggies?

We didnt have a Medicare never ending bottomless money pit then either.

When I am paying a surgeon his fees to cut open my body take care of whats wrong, yes, I want to see him face to face.

You on the left seem to think by using these technologies it will make fees or premiums go down? How? By what mechanism is this going to occur?

If surgeon can make $1 million by coming to see me or $500.000 doing it remote.....what do you think? Would you then agree that surgeons be mandated to accept the remote technologies and reduced fees?

This is becoming laughable.

Any man can count the seeds in an apple...........but only God can count the apples in the seeds.

You gonna pay him a half million dollars to chat you up? More power to ya! The rest of us are interested in getting well and getting on with our lives. We'll leave the chatting and vacation talk to you rich folks and your fine doctors.

I don't have to, but I'm going to remind you again. Medicare exists because for-profit insurance companies are not interested in insuring a bunch of old sick senior citizens. Most Americans are not interested in seeing our seniors die because of a lack of access. Medicare is our answer. Millions of Americans have benefitted tremendously from Medicare. Until you can come up with an alternative that can show the kind of success that Medicare has, we'll keep it, thank you very much.

“Some men see things as they are and say, why; I dream things that never were and say, why not.” Robert F. Kennedy, 1968

You gonna pay him a half million dollars to chat you up? More power to ya! The rest of us are interested in getting well and getting on with our lives. We'll leave the chatting and vacation talk to you rich folks and your fine doctors.

I don't have to, but I'm going to remind you again. Medicare exists because for-profit insurance companies are not interested in insuring a bunch of old sick senior citizens. Have you heard of Medicare C?

Most Americans are not interested in seeing our seniors die because of a lack of access. Medicare is our answer. Millions of Americans have benefitted tremendously from Medicare. Until you can come up with an alternative that can show the kind of success that Medicare has, we'll keep it, thank you very much.

Success? Medicare is a successful govt program?

You are NOT serious. Thats like saying the post office is profitable.

Any man can count the seeds in an apple...........but only God can count the apples in the seeds.

I have seen a huge increase in the number of students going to PA school instead of Medical School. Into remote are PA. Nurse Practitioners are extending Medical care. The can consult with a doctor while doing an exam, Because of their less costly training they can afford to locate in the lesser income areas.

While in the Army, my primary care Was provided by PA’s. They could consult with a doctor , handle emergency care and get me to Doctor/facility if needed . Now when I see my cardiologist he can review all the test , MRIs ekgs pictures, prior exams, medicines history on a Computer. HE can check IF I am in the hospital he can check my numbers by I phone and give the nurse in my room and instruction need. My numbers. He can do this without leaving his office an in a manner of speaking I get better care. If something changes or occurs between his rounds he can be called and assess the situation . And he can do it without an office or hospital charge or canceling another patients office appointment .

“I seldom make the mistake of arguing with people for whose opinions I have no respect.” Edward Gibbon

You gonna pay him a half million dollars to chat you up? More power to ya! The rest of us are interested in getting well and getting on with our lives. We'll leave the chatting and vacation talk to you rich folks and your fine doctors.

I don't have to, but I'm going to remind you again. Medicare exists because for-profit insurance companies are not interested in insuring a bunch of old sick senior citizens. Have you heard of Medicare C? Medicare C? Isn't that the insurance companies saying "Well as long as the government is going to do all the heavy lifting, we'll take the cream."?

Most Americans are not interested in seeing our seniors die because of a lack of access. Medicare is our answer. Millions of Americans have benefitted tremendously from Medicare. Until you can come up with an alternative that can show the kind of success that Medicare has, we'll keep it, thank you very much.

Success? Medicare is a successful govt program?

You are NOT serious. Thats like saying the post office is profitable.

Yes, Medicare is a successful government program. Every day it makes it possible for millions of seniors to get medical care they would otherwise have to do without.

Here is your problem. You think that there has to be profit for something to be 'successful'.

Hoover Dam was not profitable. NASA is not profitable. The Pentagon is not profitable. The FAA is not profitable. The Coast Guard is not profitable. NOAA is not profitable.

By your reasoning, they all ought to be scrapped.

Nevertheless, all those unprofitable government projects benefit you and millions of other Americans.

“Some men see things as they are and say, why; I dream things that never were and say, why not.” Robert F. Kennedy, 1968

You gonna pay him a half million dollars to chat you up? More power to ya! The rest of us are interested in getting well and getting on with our lives. We'll leave the chatting and vacation talk to you rich folks and your fine doctors.

I don't have to, but I'm going to remind you again. Medicare exists because for-profit insurance companies are not interested in insuring a bunch of old sick senior citizens. Have you heard of Medicare C? Medicare C? Isn't that the insurance companies saying "Well as long as the government is going to do all the heavy lifting, we'll take the cream."?

So whats the point of Medicare C? Its a horrible program brought to you by your federal govt.

Most Americans are not interested in seeing our seniors die because of a lack of access. Medicare is our answer. Millions of Americans have benefitted tremendously from Medicare. Until you can come up with an alternative that can show the kind of success that Medicare has, we'll keep it, thank you very much.

Success? Medicare is a successful govt program?

You are NOT serious. Thats like saying the post office is profitable.

Yes, Medicare is a successful government program. Every day it makes it possible for millions of seniors to get medical care they would otherwise have to do without.

Here is your problem. You think that there has to be profit for something to be 'successful'.

Hoover Dam was not profitable. Bad example for your argument. NASA is not profitable. Pretty well gone out of business. The Pentagon is not profitable. Not intended to be. The FAA is not profitable. Now that one is interesting. The Coast Guard is not profitable. Not intended to be. NOAA is not profitable. Should be dissolved.

By your reasoning, they all ought to be scrapped.

Nevertheless, all those unprofitable government projects benefit you and millions of other Americans.

Any man can count the seeds in an apple...........but only God can count the apples in the seeds.

You gonna pay him a half million dollars to chat you up? More power to ya! The rest of us are interested in getting well and getting on with our lives. We'll leave the chatting and vacation talk to you rich folks and your fine doctors.

I don't have to, but I'm going to remind you again. Medicare exists because for-profit insurance companies are not interested in insuring a bunch of old sick senior citizens. Have you heard of Medicare C? Medicare C? Isn't that the insurance companies saying "Well as long as the government is going to do all the heavy lifting, we'll take the cream."?

So whats the point of Medicare C? Its a horrible program brought to you by your federal govt.

Most Americans are not interested in seeing our seniors die because of a lack of access. Medicare is our answer. Millions of Americans have benefitted tremendously from Medicare. Until you can come up with an alternative that can show the kind of success that Medicare has, we'll keep it, thank you very much.

Success? Medicare is a successful govt program?

You are NOT serious. Thats like saying the post office is profitable.

Yes, Medicare is a successful government program. Every day it makes it possible for millions of seniors to get medical care they would otherwise have to do without.

Here is your problem. You think that there has to be profit for something to be 'successful'.

Hoover Dam was not profitable. Bad example for your argument.Really? Why? The dam was an important federal project that was built for the benefit of Americans, and no profit to the government was ever realized or even considered.Nevertheless, it needed to be built.

NASA is not profitable. Pretty well gone out of business. Only because most of the heavy lifting has been done. All the math and physics are in the books now. All that research and info is readily available to the private sector courtesy of the U.S. taxpayers. The private sector now benefits from telecommunications, GPS technology, Weather telemetry, etc.

The Pentagon is not profitable. Not intended to be.What? And Medicare is intended to be profitable?

The FAA is not profitable. Now that one is interesting. The Coast Guard is not profitable. Not intended to be. NOAA is not profitable. Should be dissolved. Yeah, commercial shipping, air traffic, and civil disaster planners don't need any of that info.

By your reasoning, they all ought to be scrapped.

Nevertheless, all those unprofitable government projects benefit you and millions of other Americans.

“Some men see things as they are and say, why; I dream things that never were and say, why not.” Robert F. Kennedy, 1968

This is actually old news; I first heard about it back around the summer of 2008 when one of the business magazines I was reading at the time (I want to say "Fast Company", but it's been a while since I saw the article) did a special feature on new advances in medical technology.

Among the advances featured:

1. A medical clinic where patients could have a consultation via webcam rather than coming in to the office; instead, office visits were reserved for more serious and/or private matters. The clinic that first started this found it saved time and money on both ends: the patients didn't have to come in just to get questions answered, and the staff could see more patients in a given day due to less down-time between patients.

2. A robot that doctors could use to check up on patients. The idea originated with the military, who first field-tested a small android - with a view screen for a face - that could roll into dangerous situations and check out wounded so that the actual medics weren't exposed to live-fire situations. In the civilian world, robots are used so that doctors can check on patients remotely; in particular, it allows specialists to examine patients in underserved locations and determine if travel (either the doctor to the patient or the patient to the doctor) is actually warranted.

3. A robotic arm that could do surgery. The idea is that a specailist could hypothetically perform operations remotely, thereby allowing faster treatment in more remote locations. IIRC, the device was named "Leonardo".

Dark Energy. It can be found in the observable Universe. Found in ratios of 75% more than any other substance. Dark Energy. It can be found in religious extremists, in cheerleaders. To come to the conclusion that Dark signifies mean and malevolent would define 75% of the Universe as an evil force. Alternatively, to think that some cheerleaders don't have razors in their snatch is to be foolishly unarmed.